Lucie Rychla
July 13th, 2016

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Danish supermarkets and discount stores are in an intense battle for customers interested in buying organic food.

Besides offering regular discount days, supermarket chains are forming exclusive partnerships with food manufacturers to get a larger share of the profitable market.

READ MORE: Danes remain world leaders in organic consumption

Exclusive partnerships
“I can confirm that the retail sector is fighting for organic food consumers,” Jeppe Dahl Jeppesen, the purchasing director at Dansk Supermarked Group, told Berlingske.

Føtex has just partnered up with organic dairy producer Naturmælk from Jutland and the whole Dansk Supermarked Group – which also owns chains Netto and Bilka – has other exclusive partnerships, including flour producer Skærtoft Mølle, meat producer Mineslund, egg producer Valø Slotsæg and chicken producer Løgismose.

Meanwhile, Coop, which operates stores Irma, Kvickly, SuperBrugsen and Fakta, has entered into partnership with vegetable farm Søris in North Zealand, dairy producer Thise, chicken producer Sødam and pork producer Hestbjerg Økologi from Holstebro.

READ MORE: Growing number of Danish farmers interested in converting to organic farming

Increased sales
According to Jeppsen, it is particularly organic fruits and vegetables that sells the best at stores.

“This is the category where prices have fallen the most. Our sales have increased by almost 50 percent during the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year,” Jeppesen told Berlingske.

Jens Visholm, the head of the food, non-food and logistics department at Coop, confirms that organic products have been a “commercial success” for the retail chain.

The sale of organic food products in Danish supermarkets increased by 12 percent between 2014 and 2015, and now 8.4 percent of all goods sold in the Danish retail sector are organic.